People were aghast to learn that a toddler's arm was recently torn off by a wolf hybrid at her grandmother's Michigan menagerie. In October, a man's scalp and ear were nearly torn off after he paid for a "full contact experience" with a leopard at a Florida facility. A few years ago, a 17-year-old Kansas girl was killed by a 300-pound tiger while having her picture taken at a sham shelter. A volunteer at a Florida operation was hospitalized with severe bite wounds and damaged tendons after being attacked by an escaped chimpanzee.
Roadside zoos holding themselves out to be something they're not are responsible for this carnage. Kind people are naturally drawn to places that claim to rescue animals and offer them safe harbor, but many of these operations are nothing more than a ploy to exploit the public's goodwill and generosity. A place called "Suzie's Safe Shelter" sounds a lot more altruistic than "Suzie's Wildside." Incidents involving captive animals at these often ramshackle and risky outfits abound. Countless people have been maimed, many fatally, when wild animals act on their natural instincts. Such acts of autonomy are usually their last because they are not permitted to go on living afterward.
Even experienced employees can't stop an animal who has finally had enough. A handler at a self-professed sanctuary in Oklahoma sustained a severed artery and deep gashes in an attack by a declawed black bear. The head keeper at an Oregon "haven" was killed by a cougar.
The fundamental purpose of any legitimate animal sanctuary is to provide animals with safe, comfortable living conditions that give them as natural an existence as captivity allows. They never breed or sell animals. No reputable exotic animal sanctuary allows any kind of "hands-on" interaction, and that includes forcing the animals to participate in photo ops and taking them out on the road for public display.
Roadside zoos typically house animals in barren pens, often devoid of even a blade of grass. Sanctuaries afford animals expansive spaces with vegetation, ponds and ample enrichment. Instead of forcing random animals to co-exist, sanctuaries take pains to house compatible animals together. Safety and security are paramount, whereas in dilapidated roadside zoos, animals are often able to make a break for it. Schools went on lockdown when a lion and a tiger escaped from a pseudo-sanctuary in West Palm Beach, Florida. When two black bears escaped from a Michigan bear "ranch," one was tranquilized and recaptured, while the other was shot and killed after being at large for several days.
Operators of roadside zoos employ all kinds of deceptive advertising to fool the public into buying a ticket. Often touting their licensure with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, they fail to mention that doing so is a legal requirement, not an endorsement or stamp of approval. Nor is nonprofit status an indication of legitimacy. Some substandard facilities are run by well-meaning individuals who take in more animals than they have space or funding to provide for. Conditions can quickly deteriorate. Others are just out to make money off the animals' misery.
There are hundreds of seedy operations throughout the U.S. and only about 150 reputable sanctuaries accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. People who care about animals — not to mention their life and limbs — should do their due diligence before visiting any facility, because the chances of one being a scam are pretty good.
